Everybody knew it would take some time for Caleb Williams to change minds in and around the Chicago Bears organization. Justin Fields had a lot of fans. He’d battled through tons of adversity in three years as the starter, including injuries, losing streaks, and ugly mistakes to finish last season playing some of his best football. Some felt it was enough to justify another year to let him keep growing. GM Ryan Poles would’ve done that if the Bears hadn’t landed the #1 overall pick again. He could not, in good conscience, pass on a quarterback for a second time. In such circumstances, Fields hadn’t improved enough to justify it.
In the months since then, Williams has managed to get some practices under his belt. After his third of training camp on Monday, the whispers had started growing louder among the Bears beat reporters that Poles made the right decision. Even Dan Wiederer, who is notorious for being the most pessimistic in the local media, failed to contain his growing intrigue and excitement for what the young quarterback keeps showing. After only a few sessions, he seems convinced the Bears have something special.
D.J. Moore called it “amazing.” The clips back this up. So many of his throws hit guys in stride and in tight windows, which was not happening much when Fields was the quarterback. Williams does it so naturally, too. Nothing about his motion or delivery seems forced. It is one fluid motion, not overly mechanical. That is the sign of a quarterback who has a rare gift. The last time the Bears had somebody like this was Jay Cutler, and he had a pretty solid run with the organization despite its obvious dysfunction for most of his time here.
This time around can be different. Chicago has set Caleb Williams up for immediate success. He’s surrounded by proven pass targets like D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, and Cole Kmet. His offensive line has four returning starters. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron has a proven track record working with quarterbacks. Matt Eberflus has a good plan for challenging him every day in practice. All he has to do is work hard and embrace the right way to play the position. By most accounts, he is doing that and doing it quickly.
